Portland Trail Blazers point guard Jerryd Bayless isn’t starting in place of Steve Blake yet, Andre Miller is, but the explosive second-year firecracker received close to starters’ minutes at home against the Sacramento Kings and sparked the depleted team to an impressive come-from behind victory.

Bayless entered the game with 3:21 remaining in the first quarter, the Blazers lead cut to three, 19-16, thanks to a 8-2 run by the Kings. Over the final three-plus minutes of the frame Bayless missed two shots and committed a turnover, and Portland settled for a 23-all tie after one.

It wasn’t the best of starts for him, but he soon found his groove. In the lineup to begin the second period, he crossed over his defender, took his time setting his feet, then pulled up confidently for a twenty-footer as the shot-clock wound down. Moments later he did what he does best, driving to the rim with a vengeance, creating contact before falling hard to the floor. He swished both free-throws, but though his drive inside is a recurring theme, this had some extra intent added in. It was an attempt to liven his otherwise sluggish team, but it didn’t help much, as the Blazers made just two field goals over the next four minutes.

He was out of the game for the entirety of that drought that spanned the middle portion of the second quarter, which isn’t just a coincidence. He re-entered with just over three minutes left in the half, with momentum slipping away from the Blazers.

He didn’t make an immediate impact, nor did he score over the final few minutes prior to intermission, but one defensive play near the end illustrated the energy the rest of the team was lacking and had to have. With the Blazers behind by ten, having scored only 43 points, Kings forward Kenny Thomas attacked the rim after grabbing one of many of their first-half offensive rebounds. Bayless stood between the veteran and the hoop, and made sure he wouldn’t reach his destination. Giving up five inches didn’t matter to Bayless, as he treated the hardwood like a trampoline, springing high into the air, thrusting his left arm into the air. His outstretched hand caressed the ball and, with all his might, he spiked it into a shell-shocked Thomas.

The crowd mirrored Bayless’s exuberance, but though they were quickly silenced as the Kings grabbed their tenth offensive rebound of the first half, his energy carried over to the second half and spread contagiously to the other eight healthy Blazers.

Portland only made one substitution in the third quarter, and it wasn’t for Bayless. The starting unit played the first eleven minutes of the frame, and played beautifully. Bayless was well-rested and, given the Blazers were still behind by seven entering the final period, was rightfully inserted into the lineup to begin the quarter.

Behind by four two minutes in, Bayless drove in the middle, let the defenders respecting his aggressiveness converge, before passing out to Blake, who was set up beyond the three-point line. The struggling guard gave Bayless an assist, hitting his first three-pointer in what feels like Eons. After that, Bayless took the initiative offensively. Enough with the passing, let’s drive, drive, drive.

That’s just what he did. He dribbled on the right side, then across the key before slashing inside for layup, an important counter to a three-pointer by the Kings. Finding space on offense was getting tougher for everyone except for Bayless. He continued to create his own. He drove to the basket at the eight-and-a-half minute mark, converting one one of two free-throws, then split a pair as the clock wound under four minutes, cutting the margin to one both times.

He couldn’t tie the game in those instances, but extended a Blazers lead later that was made possible by two magnificent layups by LaMarcus Aldridge, maneuvering down the middle, taking the contact, and then canning two free-throws. A lead that Bayless had increased to five was soon cut to three, but, welcomed “to Prime Time” by announcer Mike Rice, he clinched the victory with deja vu all over again.

Brandon Roy was the first option, and he had the ball out top. He dribbled around, hounded by defenders, before attempting to drive on the left baseline. He was going nowhere, and acknowledging this, saw Bayless hovering beyond the three-point line on the right wing. Roy put the ball in his hands.

Bayless knew exactly what to do. He pump-faked, forcing guard Beno Udrih to flinch and protect against a potential shot, then blew by the Kings backup point guard and flew to the rim. He sprinted down the baseline and took off, evading a few defenders before spinning a layup off the glass. Five-point game, seventeen seconds left, and the crowd going wild. Welcome to Prime Time, indeed.

For good measure, Bayless skied for a miss on the Kings ensuing possession, took an immediate foul, and gave Portland an added cushion with two free-throws. In all, he scored 14 points, making 3-6 field goals and 8-10 free-throws, and grabbed two rebounds and dished two assists to compliment that powerful and poster-worthy block. Most importantly, he played the entire fourth quarter. The entire final period, and he helped decide the outcome.

Now, Bayless isn’t inserted just because of his aggressiveness, or because of certain advantages he may have against certain rotations. Now, he is inserted because of his growth as a player, because he is worthy of a substantial amount of minutes, especially the tensest down the stretch.

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Game Notes:

Bayless led the Blazers down the stretch, but he wasn’t alone. LaMarcus Aldridge, hampered by a terribly painful ankle, continued his brilliant play, scoring 25 points–including five big ones over the final three minutes–while snatching 9 rebounds and handing out 5 helpers.

Roy kept his stellar December going, scoring 25 points as well. He also dished 10 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds.

The win would not have been possibe without Joel Przybilla. When the center wasn’t in the game the Blazers struggled. When he was in the game they flourished. It was as simple as that. He affected multiple shots and kept the Kings from going inside. He scored 5 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, drew five offensive fouls, and blocked two shots. Those statistics don’t even begin to tell the story.

Martell Webster had a ferocious dunk midway through the third period that is worth noting.

Shooting guard Tyreke Evans scored 19 points, power forward Jason Thompson scored 18 points, and Udrih added 17 points for Sacramento, but their trio couldn’t outdo the foursome of Roy, Aldridge, Przybilla, and, of course, Bayless.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 2:49 am and is filed under Breaking News, Most Recommended, NBA, News Headlines, Portland Trail Blazers, Right Column, Sacramento Kings, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.